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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
Moscow Tournament

Mikhail Botvinnik11/15(+8 -1 =6)[games]
Viacheslav Ragozin10.5/15(+8 -2 =5)[games]
Isaac Boleslavsky10/15(+6 -1 =8)[games]
Vasily Smyslov10/15(+6 -1 =8)[games]
Alexander Kotov9.5/15(+6 -2 =7)[games]
Paul Keres9/15(+6 -3 =6)[games]
Nikolay Novotelnov9/15(+6 -3 =6)[games]
Ludek Pachman8.5/15(+5 -3 =7)[games]
Petar Trifunovic8/15(+3 -2 =10)[games]
Svetozar Gligoric7.5/15(+4 -4 =7)[games]
Igor Bondarevsky6.5/15(+3 -5 =7)[games]
Ratmir Kholmov5.5/15(+3 -7 =5)[games]
Cenek Kottnauer5/15(+1 -6 =8)[games]
Kazimierz Plater4/15(+1 -8 =6)[games]
Alexey Sokolsky4/15(+1 -8 =6)[games]
Alexandar Tsvetkov2/15(+0 -11 =4)[games]
*

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
Moscow (1947)

The second Mikhail Chigorin Memorial international tournament was held in the winter of 1947 in the Soviet capital of Moscow.

Moscow, Soviet Union (Russia), 25 November - 23 December 1947 (1)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pts 1 Botvinnik * 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 11 2 Ragozin 0 * 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 10½ =3 Boleslavsky ½ 1 * ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 10 =3 Smyslov ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 10 5 Kotov ½ ½ ½ 1 * 0 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 9½ =6 Keres 0 0 1 ½ 1 * 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 9 =6 Novotelnov 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 * ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 9 8 Pachman 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * 0 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 8½ 9 Trifunovic ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 8 10 Gligoric ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ * ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 7½ 11 Bondarevsky ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 0 ½ 1 0 1 6½ 12 Kholmov 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 * ½ 1 ½ 1 5½ 13 Kottnauer 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ 5 =14 Plater 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 * ½ ½ 4 =14 Sokolsky 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 4 16 Tsvetkov 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ * 2

Ten of the USSR's best chess masters were pitted against six strong masters from Eastern Europe in what would be one of the strongest post-war tournaments leading up to the 1948 World Championship. Mikhail Botvinnik finished clear first with an impressive 11/15. He was joined by six fellow soviets at the top of the table. Of the foreign masters, only Pachman (Czechoslovakia) and Trifunović (Yugoslavia) managed to score more than 50%, finishing in the middle of the pack. Gligorić (Yugoslavia) finished 10th; Kottnauer (Czechoslovakia) 13th, Plater (Poland) shared 14th; and Tsvetkov (Bulgaria) ended up in 16th and last place.

This event was also notable in that it revived a series that had languished for almost half a century. The first Chigorin Memorial international tournament had been held in St. Petersburg (1909), a year after Chigorin's death.

[1) [rusbase-1] ; Edward Winter ed., "World Chess Champions" (Pergamon Press 1981), p. 149.

Original collection: Game Collection: Moscow 1947, by User: suenteus po 147.

 page 2 of 2; games 26-40 of 40  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
26. Keres vs Kotov 1-0381947MoscowB20 Sicilian
27. Botvinnik vs Kholmov 1-0301947MoscowE47 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3
28. Kotov vs A Tsvetkov 1-0421947MoscowD46 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
29. Ragozin vs Gligoric 1-0451947MoscowC59 Two Knights
30. Botvinnik vs Ragozin 1-0331947MoscowE40 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3
31. C Kottnauer vs Pachman 1-0521947MoscowD49 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, Meran
32. Smyslov vs K Plater 1-0231947MoscowE67 King's Indian, Fianchetto
33. Pachman vs Gligoric 1-01271947MoscowE67 King's Indian, Fianchetto
34. Kholmov vs A Tsvetkov  1-0501947MoscowE80 King's Indian, Samisch Variation
35. Kotov vs A Sokolsky 1-0391947MoscowA96 Dutch, Classical Variation
36. Keres vs C Kottnauer 1-0411947MoscowE41 Nimzo-Indian
37. Bondarevsky vs Kotov  1-0581947MoscowD60 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense
38. Smyslov vs A Sokolsky 1-0311947MoscowC81 Ruy Lopez, Open, Howell Attack
39. Ragozin vs A Tsvetkov  1-0321947MoscowA47 Queen's Indian
40. N Novotelnov vs Keres 1-0461947MoscowD46 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
 page 2 of 2; games 26-40 of 40  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-02-18  Saniyat24: Four straight losses in the opening four matches for Ratmir Kholmov...were the players too strong, or was Kholmov not at his best form?
Mar-02-18  morfishine: <Saniyat24> Well, Kholmov was "only" 22 years old at this tournament and he didn't earn the GM title for another 13 years. Perhaps, he just wasn't fully developed yet as as world class player

Plus, those first 4 opponents were powerful indeed: Ragozin, Boleslavsky, Pachman & Paul Keres! What a formidable lineup to start a tournament with!

*****

Mar-02-18  Saniyat24: thanks <morfishine> didn't know that Kholmov was only 22 in 1947, must have been an amazing experience though, facing the calibre of players he faced...
Mar-03-18  hemy: In 1946 Ratmir Kholmov moved from Arkhangesk (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkha...) to Grodno, Belarus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grodno). In 1946 he took first place in the Belarus republic, 1st category players, (one bellow master-candidate) tournament. In 1947 he won Soviet Union 1st category tournament in Minsk and later Soviet Union master-candidate tournament in Yaroslavl, before Rashid Gibiatovich Nezhmetdinov, Georgy Bastrikov and Yakov Estrin

Invitation to the second Mikhail Chigorin Memorial international (Moscow (1947)) tournament was a real surprise for Kholmov. He was invited to represent the Belarus. It was the 1st time Kholmov played with foreign chess players and 1st time he won against GM (Igor Bondarevsky).

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